Blaze- 5 year anniversary

She was our littlest 24 Paw.

She was an avid hunter and full of spitfire.

She had an hyper anxious electricity about her.

We have always been grateful that her previous owners brought her back to us.

She had quite the fascination with Boxer and Leia.

She was loved.

She was Blaze.

And she more than fit her name.

and then some.

Can't believe it has been five years that she has been gone.

Love you Sweet Pea.  ♥

 

Zappa's 3 year anniversary

 

The first thing I remember about Zappa after he was born, was the mouth he had on him.  OMD!  He had no problem belting it out even as a wee little thing.  lol  He was always running that mouth for whatever he wanted.  The second thing was that he was a momma's boy.  He loved his Momma Dog Silver.  He could always be seen hanging close to her mouth or in her front legs as a newborn.  He remained tight with Silver her entire life.  I have several pics of just the two of them together. 

The third thing I remember about Zappa is when he had stolen the toilet paper roll and when I called him from the lieu, he actually brought it back!  I still giggle over that one.  

The fourth thing I remember was how many times he outsmarted Brut when it came to their challenges.  Zappa knew how to get Brut in trouble, even if he had instigated the situation. It took me a while to catch on to his game.  

There are several other memories and moments with Zappa, but the time period that sticks out the most for me was after losing Blaze, Chance and Fiona in less than 60 days.  How suddenly he was all alone and it was just him and I.  I often wondered why it was that Zappa was the lone survivor.  We had kind of a rough relationship and didn't really know each other.  He was Mark's dog and Brut was mine.  It was a struggle after the loss of the dogs and being alone with Zappa.  That first day after Fiona died, I shared my turkey sandwich with Zappa and it was the beginning of a peace offering.  Together we slowly began the healing process and grieved together.  That one-on-one time with Zappa became precious in so many ways.  I couldn't be more grateful for his strength and endurance to carry on through even after the losses he had.  I got to know him in a way I couldn't with the other dogs around and it was a blessing.  

Zappa was always a mystery to me.  Fiona and him were the only dogs out of the six who had never been abused or neglected.  And with my childhood abuse it was hard to relate to him.  He was on a higher plane, spiritually, and I was sort of intimidated by him.  So, in these last moments of his life, we were actually able to bond and find each other.  Like I said, it was a blessing.  That time gave me a chance to call him friend, which was the best gift of all.  And I've never forgotten.  ♥

Zappa-Dappa-Do.  

Love you forever buddy.  

Testing...testing...1,2,3

 Had to make some changes to our email subscriptions.  They were technical changes that do not effect any of our subscribers, so no worries.  And since I'm not very technical it took me a while to figure it out.  But it is all fixed and ready to go.   So hopefully every one of our subscribers is receiving this post.

Because of the delay, I missed posting about Zappa's year anniversary.  It is so hard to believe that a year ago he was here and that he actually been gone that long.  It still hits me, just like that, out of the blue sometimes.  In the evenings for some reason, his loss really gets to me, as well as the rest of the 24 Paws.  During the day I'm basically OK, but when the sun starts to set, I feel that emptiness and loss every evening.  Not really sure why, but I do.

Boxer, our cat is doing well for having cancer.  He was given 3 months to live last July, but no one told him that.  lol  It has been eight months since he was diagnosed and he is still here.  There have been no changes that I can see and he is acting fine.  In fact, he is starting to get really needy, wanting to be close to me all the time.  He's starting to drive me crazy.  lol  Boxer has always been like that, but he's been a little worse than normal.  Not sure what that means, but we are taking it day by day with him.  

Princess Leia, the Siamese, is also doing fine.  The food and supplements she takes for her kidney disease are doing a great job at keeping it under control.  She is very healthy for a 17 1/2 year old.  

Well, that's about the latest.  I hope I will be able to post more now that the emails are fixed.  

Thank you for staying with us.

Take care,

Patty ♥

My Precious Fiona-One year anniversary

Dear Mr. God,

It was one year ago today that Fiona left us to spend time with you.  She must have missed Chance so much and didn't want him to go alone, so she met him in Heaven 3 days after he died.  

I don't know why she had to leave so soon, she must have had important Heaven work to do for you

You know that Fiona has never been gone this long from home and she might be missing some of her favorite things.  So let me tell you some of them.  

Fiona likes to dig up dandelions and eat them.  The ones with just the leaves and roots, not the flowers.  She saves those for the bees.  You must have told her they were good for her lives and probably helped her live a longer life.  I know she doesn't need them for her liver, now, but I think she would still like them.

The second thing Fiona loves o do is get her back scratched by the pine tree with the long needles.  And when the needles fell off, Mark, attached fresh ones to the tree, so that the fun never stopped.   In fact, he just replaced the branches this spring.  So any time she wants she can visit her favorite tree and let the scratching begin.  

Do you have snack time in Heaven?  Fiona loves snack time!  She is so funny about it.   She dances a jig, swinging her head to and fro, barking up a storm.  So you gotta have snacks, Mr. God for my Fiona.

And she adores belly rubs and lots and lots of love.  Can't get enough.  I wish I'd given her more. 

Please take care of my Fiona, Mr. God.  We miss her so much.  We are leaving her in your hands.  

Love, Patty 

  

Soul Windows-Chance's One Year Anniversary

I am still processing Chance's death and this post comes in pieces from my broken soul.

Chance was the fourth puppy born to Silver and Brut's litter and the hardest dog for me to let go.  He was my heart and soul dog and his passing cuts the deepest out of our three that died.  

Chance's eyes were like burning fires.  They started out yellow than turned to an fiery amber.  His eyes were dull and empty when his previous owner returned him.   I watched those eyes turn to light and love.  They were so sweet and full of life and passion.  

I felt safe and protected in those eyes.  They were our largest way of communicating.  Chance's eyes spoke volumes in compassion, empathy and unconditional love.

Those eyes have saved my life over and over again.

13 years with these expressive, trusting eyes, taking care of me, even until the very end. When he willed himself in spite of the shot that was just given, to lift his head to give  me his eyes, one last time.  

Remembering my girl, Blaze. One year anniversary

That white streak is how Blaze got her name.

Little did we know she would give it a whole other meaning!

Blaze was born of Silver and Brut's litter.  She was the ninth puppy born.  And she was a natural born instigator.  Always starting something.  She was that way from the time she was born, until the time that she died.  It was an infectious quality she had.  I didn't always appreciate it, but learned to love her more for it.    

My first real memory of Blaze, (because her birth is a blur now) is when she was about 2-3 weeks old.  All the puppies would be settling down for a nap, getting all cozy with each other, and here would come Blaze pouncing on everyone with that baby bark, "Get up! Get up!  She was hilarious.  I still crack up when I think about it.  I can't stop laughing about it now. 

My flower barrel became a favorite spot in those early days back home.

 

My second vivid memory of Blaze is when her previous owners gave her back to us.  Our four dogs, were out back playing and Blaze's high pitched bark was rapidly firing off from the kitchen.   The dogs had rejected her when she came home and she so desperately wanted to play with them.  Well, I walked in through the door to the kitchen expecting to see her at the door, I followed her voice and there she was on top of the kitchen island!  Blaze was all fired up, shaking her tail and head and yipping with this huge smile on her face.  I was shocked!  This girl was crazy!  I even went so far as to put up a fence around the island table and the kitchen counter trying to stop her.   That lasted about a half a minute when I realized I couldn't use the table myself.  lol  I worked with her to stop jumping on the the counter and table, but I don't think it stopped until Chance came back.  She finally had another dog to play with and call her own.  

There was the time she jumped in the car when we went to visit her with her owners.  She was ready to come home then.  As it turned out about a week later was when they returned her to us.  She was so spot on!

I spent several months sleeping on the bathroom floor with Blaze.  She had been so hurt by her owners that she was a shell of herself.  She wouldn't sleep next to me at first, but over time she would lay down by my feet.  I remember how timid she was doing that, that I just held my breath when she did come on my blanket.  Tiny amounts of trust started in that bathroom.

                                   

After her spaying.  If Blaze could talk!

Blaze was so whip smart!  After the trust was built, there was no stopping her.  I was so intimidated by her intelligence.  Those wheels were also turning!  We were always trying to outsmart each other, but somehow it seemed Blaze was always on top.  I especially noticed it when we were on our walks.  That mind of her was always working on ways to pull me along.  I threw my hands up many a time walking her that I would just turn around and go home.  She was too much for me some days. 

I'll never forget the time Blaze and I had a frustrating day together and I was at my wits end.  It was my turn to sleep with her and I was trying to find a way for both of us to wind down for the night.  (This was before Chance had come back)  When I pulled out a tub of vanilla ice cream for us to share.  Blaze loved it!  She began to calm down and I began to come to.  She was so in love with ice cream.  That was the first time and it wasn't our last.  But I was loving our girls night together.  Blaze made everything she loved to do into the most exciting thing in the world.  I loved that about her.  Didn't matter what it was, if she was excited about it, she loved it!

Blaze didn't just dig...she built trenches!

One thing Blaze loved to do was run and being a part-time Husky she was born with the perfect frame and drive to pull a sled.  Don't let her 63 pounds fool you, she pulled me behind her effortlessly.  It was one the most beautiful things to experience, as she moved with fluidity and grace when she pulled.  It was breathtaking.  It came to her as natural as breathing.  As exquisite as she was, her long body galloping down the snow covered trail, there was a twist, she was still Blaze.  When she pulled she was on a mission, she knew she was in charge and she took that freedom to new heights every time when sledded together.  Her goal:  to look for dogs or go where ever the hell she wanted!  We were lucky though, we only had one encounter with a couple of dogs and their owner and just made it out of there alive.  (Something I'll share at another time.)  Blaze had a mind of her own and if she could get away with it, she did.   

Blaze was an amazing dog.  A little of everything you want and don't want in a dog.  Her spirit just vibrated with life, love and happiness.  As it still does today.  We were doubly blessed when she came back home and to have lived the life we did with her on Earth.  And we can't wait for our heavenly reunion someday.  

We miss you Sweet Pea.  You will always be our Baby Girl.

A chip off the ol' block.

Smiling in front of Daddy Dog Brut's roses.

Now and Forever, Blaze

 Where has the time gone?  How did almost a year sneak under our belt?  Today, Valentine's Day marks Blaze's 11 months since she left us.  How have we managed, how have we lived without her for 11 months?  Seems like she was just here yesterday.  It doesn't seem fair or right, yet here we are.  

It wasn't so long ago that I was giving her kisses on her forehead.  Her favorite.  She used to visit me in the bathroom just for them.  

Or how giddy she would get trying to sit long enough for a treat with her wing-tipped ears wiggling with excitement.  

Two of my favorite memories of Blaze.  This is how I picture her.  Coming to get kisses and those floppy ears.  That's how I remember her.  

That's how I will always remember her.  

Now and Forever, Blaze.

Amongst our grief, is Brut's anniversary.

 

6 years ago today I buried my best friend.  

My canine-soulmate.  

Hard to believe it has only been 6 years.  

Seems like forever.  

And now Brut is with his girl Silver and their kids,

Chance, Blaze and Fiona.  

I hope they are having one hell of a celebration up there.  

Love ya, Bruter Boy!